If the benefits of exercise could be packaged and sold in a pill you would make billions.
Strength, stamina, endurance, flexibility, body-composition, endorphins, self-esteem, confidence, connection, camaraderie to name but a few.
All great stuff.
However, a problem occurs when an addictive pursuit of the mental benefits puts you at risk of undoing all the physical benefits.
It’s quite common - intense exercise can make you feel really good - so you pursue more and more of it.
But there is a limit to how much stress your muscles, joints and connective tissues can handle before they begin to breakdown.
Too much too often eventually backfires and you can’t get the mental benefits of exercise when you’re injured, wiped out and completely exhausted.
Which is why an 80/20 approach to exercise is so beneficial.
80% of the time your exercise should be easy, light and energising
20% of the time your exercise should be hard, intense and challenging
It’s a great combination which allows you to reap all the benefits of daily exercise (both physical and mental) without running the gauntlet of burnout and injury.
In practical terms I’ve found 2-3 short bursts of hard work per week (resistance training, circuit training, interval training etc) coupled with a physically active lifestyle (walking, stretching, playing etc) is the sweet spot for most people!